The Rev. Chuck Currie

The Peace Bubble Cafe Came To Town

The people of Parkrose Community United Church of Christ and Zion United Church of Christ held a joint worship service this morning at Portland's Blue Lake Park.  This followed Saturday's Peace Bubble Cafe Fair & Concert held on Saturday at Parkrose High School.  The Rev. Jerry Leggett, creator of the Peace Bubble Cafe, preached this morning on Luke 6:27-31.  Above Jerry leads songs during this morning's worship service.  Below is a photo from Saturday's concert.  More photos and video to come soon!

Jury Duty - Free At Last

Turns out they didn't want me on a jury after all.  Actually, they kicked all but 20 people out of the room and told us to go home.  So now I have time to work on my sermon before heading down to Eugene to watch my nephew play baseball.

Jury Duty - Hour Two

My cell mates fellow jurors and I have been in captivity now the jury room waiting for two hours and forty-five minutes.  No one has been called for a case.  We have, however, been offered the opportunity twice now to stand up and get something to drink.  The Today Show has been replaced by a program about Superman's adolescence.  Thankfully, I'm far enough away from the TV that it is hardly audible.  I'm using the time to start William Faulkner's Intruder In the Dust, which begins with the arrival of the sheriff to see Lucas Beauchamp, a black man arrested for the murder of a white man in the Old South. 

The book - along with sitting in a courthouse with a lot of time on my hands - started to remind me of an NPR story that ran a few days ago about prison conditions at Sana Quentin:

All Things Considered, July 7, 2008 · From the moment you walk through the metal doors of what was once Sana Quentin's gymnasium, all you can see are men and bunk beds. Packed together from front wall to back, more than 360 inmates live here because there's no room anywhere else.

A lone correctional officer, Michael McClain, sits on a riser in the middle of the gym, about 6 feet off the floor. Below, the conversations are loud and tense.

"It can get ugly. It can go at any moment, just at the drop of a hat," he says, watching the floor.

The gym is not the only room packed in this way. Officials at Sana Quentin, located in upscale Marin County, less than an hour from Sana Francisco, have set up beds in every available indoor space except the chapel.

Sending inmates to other California prisons isn't an option. In just the past 10 years, the state's already high prison population doubled. Now all of California's prisons are at twice or three times their capacity. And California is not alone: More than 30 states nationwide now house more inmates than their prisons were built for.

Cramming all these inmates into aging facilities has had clear results at Sana Quentin: an increase in violence, filth, racial tensions and the likelihood that inmates will keep coming back. At the same time, prison officials say they have no room for the programs that help inmates stay out — meaning that overcrowding has led to even more overcrowding.

Click here to listen / read the entire story.  What's clear is that our justice system is a mess.  Our policies help create the very criminals we then incarcerate.  A real plan to fight crime and to make our neighborhoods safer would include a massive expansion of mental health programs and alcohol and drug treatment facilities.  Politicians know this but you win votes not by presenting complicated plans that get at the root of societal problems.  Most of the time - unfortunately - you win votes by promising just to lock people up...no matter the long term costs.      

Jury Duty – Hour One

This morning I find myself at the Multnomah County Courthouse where I have been summoned to sit on a jury. More likely is that I've been summoned to sit in the jury waiting room for the next eight hours. The idea that anyone would actually sit me on a jury seems somewhat absurd. After all, I'm a minister / blogger - the worst of all combinations. I have opinions on everything. Besides that my nephew is playing in a baseball game down in Eugene tonight that I wanted to catch. But I'll do my bit for king and country today as any responsible citizen would. Even if I believe the justice system is – like many public institutions – built around the idea of protecting those with institutional power and unfairly targets those with little or no means to mount a reasonable defense.

July 4, 2008 In Portland, Oregon

We spent tonight afloat on the Sternwheeler Rose on the Willamette River watching the 4th of July fireworks over both downtown and east Portland.

Happy 4th of July!

 

Portland, Oregon July 3, 2008 3 AM Thunderstorm

About 3 am Portland, Oregon was hit with a rare thunderstorm.  Here's a view from our backyard:

The video gets a little more exciting as it goes along.  It wasn't anything like a South Carolina or St. Louis storm but we'll take what we can get around here.  At least we Liz won't have to water later this morning.  Frances and Katherine slept through the entire storm.  On the other hand, Hugo and Hazel had to be given the sedatives we normally reserve for New Years and 4th of July

How Cold Can It Get?

It's nearly mid-June but you'd never know it here in Oregon.  Example A: the fire that is keeping us all warm right now.

Example B:  Mt. Hood is getting heavy snow.

Paper Profiles My Ministry

The Mid County Memo has an article out in their June edition offering a profile of my ministry.  The author, I thought, did a good job even when she got stuck with a poor subject to report on.

:) 

Click here to read the article.

Randy Leonard Is Right About Police

The Oregonian has posted an article concerning what it calls "angry" e-mails from Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard to the Portland Police Bureau:

Portland Commissioner Randy Leonard, who gets all worked up about duct tape and has successfully convinced the council to ban its use to reserve viewing spots at the annual Grand Floral Parade, was incensed when police this week said they weren't going to cite anyone who violated the new rule.

So Leonard did what Leonard does: He fired off several angry e-mails Tuesday to the police chief and to the police spokesman, Sgt. Brian Schmautz.

"Your reported comments were consistent with what we have come to expect from the police bureau on this and other issues, and I am disappointed that the bureau consistently appears to lack the capacity to think and operate outside of the scope of its own interests,'' Leonard wrote to police spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz at 11:54 a.m. Tuesday.

Leonard cc'd his comments to Chief Rosie Sizer. He even dug up and resent to Sizer a nearly six-month-old e-mail he had written to her regarding another pet peeve he had with officers reportedly questioning his and his fellow council members' decisions on an unrelated matter.

On Tuesday, Leonard resent to the chief his Dec. 21, 2007, e-mail, which had the subject line: "Police Bureau's Policy on Questioning Council Directives." In that e-mail, Leonard wrote that he had heard that officers in North Precinct, including Jim Ferraris, the precinct's commander at the time, were telling community members that the council had erred in eliminating the city's drug-free zones and were urging community members to contact the commissioners to reconsider their votes.

No big surprise, right? Well, Leonard didn't like it.

In his December e-mail, Leonard noted he also happened to be exchanging e-mails with residents of the Argay Terrace neighborhood, who he said were being told by police that prostitution was out of hand in their area because the council eliminated the prostitution- free zone as well.

"In the Fire Bureau, if any employee took public positions that were directly contrary to the council or the fire administration the consequences would be swift, severe and certain,'' Leonard, a former Portland fire union president, wrote to the police chief. "I am baffled at what can only be described as a culture at the Police Bureau where it is apparently accepted that everyone from Commanders to the PIO are allowed to publicly take issue with the city council's various official positions.''

Leonard is right.  It's a mistake to dismiss his concerns as "angry."  He's passionate and for a good reason.  The council made a sound decision in repealing the drug-free zones.  Not only were they ineffective in fighting crime but the zones ignored basic constitutional rights.  Politicians ought to be passionate about such things.

The council ought to also be passionate about making sure that they - the elected leaders of the city - set policy and not bureau employees.  We didn't elected Jim Ferraris to anything.      

Oregon May 2008 Primary: My Endorsements

Ballots have been mailed out now to Oregon voters and decision time has arrived.  Voting matters (anyone who thinks otherwise should remember the year 2000 when the national election was stolen and events were set in motion that would led us to war and economic woes).  So here is how I plan to vote in some of the contested races:

President

Barack Obama is my choice.  No shock there.  I first endorsed Senator Obama about a year ago and have had the chance to meet him twice since then.  He was against the war when his main opponent – Senator Clinton – folded in the face of poll numbers and endorsed George W. Bush’s crusade.  Senator Obama has detailed positions on the environment and poverty and I expect if elected he won’t abandon his values.

Related Link:  Why I'm Joining Obama for America

United States Senate

Steve Novick has had a solid reputation in Oregon politics for many years.  My wife worked with him on the campaigns to beat back Bill Sizemore’s attempts to gut funding for Oregon’s schools and social service programs.  He won me over when he became the first and only senate candidate to offer up a detailed plan to fight poverty.  Jeff Merkley, his primary opponent, hasn’t offered much in the way of specifics and has engaged in negative campaigning.  Novick, on the other hand, reminds me of Paul Wellstone and Wayne Morris, two political legends from the senate.

Related Link:  Steve Novick Endorsed by Rev. Chuck Currie

Portland Mayor

Sam Adams has earned my vote.  Let me tell you something about Sam:  he worked, as everyone knows, for Vera Katz when she was mayor.  Katz was about as mean as they get and she never forgave anyone who crossed her.  It got to the point that our arguments over housing policy were so heated that she wouldn’t talk to me and had this firm habit of having to go to the bathroom every time I got up to testify at council.  But Sam kept the communication lines open with me and other advocates.  As a city commissioner out on his own, Sam has been a strong supporter of affordable housing and homeless programs.  I wish very much that he talked more about those issues in this campaign but I believe is heart is in the right place.  Sho Dozono hasn’t given me a reason to vote for him but has offered several reasons not to (including negative statements he made about homeless people during the KGW debate).

Portland City Commissioner, Position # 1

I’m voting for Charles Lewis.  Lewis is one of an abundance of Harvard grads we have running in Oregon this year.  He founded a music program for kids and has the endorsement of Stand for Children.  Portland could use another children’s advocate on the city council.  Jeff Bissonnette, who has a solid record in social services, would be my second choice in this race and I hope he runs for another office soon. 

Portland City Commissioner, Position #2

This is the position vacated by Erik Sten, a long time friend and homeless advocate.  Jim Middaugh, Erik’s former chief of staff, is running for the spot and I’m voting for him.  Why?  He knows the issues involved and clearly has the kind of progressive values we need on the city council.  None of the other candidates has his kind of insight. 

Other Important Races

There are, of course, some other races taking place this May.  I’ll be voting for Kate Brown for Secretary of State.  Jackie Dingfelder should be the next state senator in District 23.  Cyreena Boston is running for the Oregon House in District 45 and I think she'll do a terrific job. 

Deborah Kafoury is running for Position 1 on the Multnomah County Commission.  Liz and I would both be voting for her if we lived in the district.  We urge everyone who does live in that part of the county to vote for this experienced former legislator and Transition Projects board chair.

Disclaimer

As a minister in the United Church of Christ, I trust deeply in the Constitutional principle of separation of church and state and my endorsements are therefore personal ones and do not reflect on or speak for the church I serve or my denomination. But as a citizen I believe that all Americans must engage in the political process as individuals for democracy to thrive.  So I choose to be involved. 

   

Statement from The Rev. Chuck Currie On Portland City Hall Homeless Protest

I want to applaud the protesters outside Portland City Hall asking for additional assistance for people who are homeless. Portland has done a lot of good over the years – taking up much of the slack left by the federal government’s retreat in this area – but despite these efforts we continue to see large numbers of people on the street. Right now we face a real crisis in our mental health system and homeless children are not receiving the attention or care they need. I am most disheartened that neither of the leading candidates for mayor has developed comprehensive plans for fighting poverty in Portland. None of the city council candidates have offered up proposals that go beyond the status quo. Only a reduction in poverty will reduce the crisis of homelessness. How we treat the “least of these” in Portland is a moral test and we are not passing.

My Challenge To Sam Adams And Sho Dozono

Dear Sam and Sho:

Races for elected office should be focused on the issues we face and not the personalities involved. I deeply appreciate the willingness you have both shown to engage in the political process and to debate the issues you care deeply about.

However, I’ve been frustrated to see that neither of your campaigns has developed comprehensive plans for addressing poverty and homelessness in Portland. As the national poverty level has grown and Oregon’s economy becomes further strained the need for comprehensive plans and commitments for substantive action in this area have never been greater.

We should be talking about ways to reduce poverty, ways to build up the economy so that everyone benefits, and about ways to provide a safety net so no one is ever forced to live in the streets or crowded shelters.

I challenge you both to develop such comprehensive plans before ballots are mailed out so that voters can assess your personal commitment to fighting poverty in Portland. If you like, I would be willing to publish your plans once written on my personal blog (www.chuckcurrie.com). The site is read by many Portlanders concerned about these issues. It will not be my intention to critique your plans (though I may do that eventually) but simply to showcase your proposals unedited and without comment.

I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Chuck Currie

Ministers Will Exchange Pulpits For Earth Sunday

Here's a release my office sent out this morning. All are welcome.

The Rev. Dr. Patricia Ross and The Rev. Chuck Currie will exchange pulpits for a day on Sunday, April 20th. Both will be preaching on the environment and God’s call that we be good stewards of all creation.

Ministers in the United Church of Christ (www.ucc.org) have been encouraged to set aside a Sunday before Earth Day (Monday, April 21st) to preach on environmental stewardship issues.

Rev. Currie is the interim minister at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ in NE Portland (4715 NE 106th Ave). Dr. Ross will preach at his church during the 10 AM service. Additional information on the church can be found by visiting www.parkroseucc.org or calling 503-235-5457.

Dr. Ross is the senior minister of First Congregational United Church of Christ in downtown Portland (1137 SW Park Avenue). Rev. Currie will preach at her church during the 10:25 am service. Additional information on the church can be found by visiting www.uccportland.org or calling 503-228-7219.

“On April 8, the Collegium of Officers of the United Church of Christ released a significant theological statement, ‘And Indeed It Is Very Good – A Pastoral Letter on Faith and Environment: Living in Community with God’s Creation.’ The letter offers a new prophetic word about the need to celebrate the beauty of the earth and engage in faith action on behalf of the interrelated components of creation. We want to make clear the UCC's extravagant hospitality with evangelical courage that extends to the environmental and the social, the local and the global,” states a news release issued by the UCC national offices.

More information on the UCC and environmental issues can be found at: http://www.ucc.org/earthcare/.

I'm excited to have the chance to be back at First Congregational UCC this coming Sunday morning.

Springtime In Portland (Sort Of)

We haven't has any snow in a day or two and there was some sun this afternoon in between rain showers.  Yes, Spring is back in the Rose City.  Rejoice and be glad.  Only four or so more months until the end of the rainy season.  For me anyway these flowers in front of our house are making up for any bad feelings about Northwest weather patterns in the Global Warming Era.

 

Easter In Portland

Join the people of Parkrose Community United Church of Christ (http://www.parkroseucc.org) for Easter Sunday. We'll have an Easter Egg hunt for kids at 8:30 am and worship begins at 10 am.

We're located on NE 105th and Wygant (just off Sandy).

In Galatians 3.28 we are reminded that despite our differences we are all "one in Christ Jesus." Therefore, we, the people of Parkrose Community United Church of Christ, declare ourselves to be open and affirming. With God's grace, we seek to be a congregation that includes all persons, embracing differences of sexual orientation, gender, marital status, age, mental and physical ability, as well as racial, ethnic, religious, political or social-economic background. We welcome all to share in the life and leadership, ministry, and fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities and blessings of participation in our congregation. This is God's church and no matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here.

Click here for a map and more information.

Three Cheers For Protesting Portland Students!

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. - Matthew 5:9 (NRSV)

From OregonLive.com:

Hundreds of Portland-area school students left their campuses and have gathered at the North Park Block to protest the war in Iraq.

"I feel like it was a good thing, and I'll take the consequences if there are any," says Kiana Hamilton, 16, a junior at Wilson High School.

Students are carrying signs calling for peace. "Stop the War." "Five too many." "Honk for Peace." They began marching to the South Park Blocks shortly before 1 p.m., chanting "Peace Now."

Ellie Schmidt, 17, a senior at St. Mary's Academy said of the war "it's based on principles I don't stand for. And it's based on alot of lies."   

The Oregonian's web site promises an update later.

Note to Miss Hamilton:  Nothing the schools can do to you will matter.  Their consequences are meaningless compared to the consequences we all face if we do nothing and fail to stop this war.  All of the students who took part deserve applause for their actions and hopefully big hugs tonight from their parents.

Related Sermon Podcast:  "We Can't Just Wish For Peace"   

A Podcast From The Portland Witness For Peace Gathering

Tonight I spoke at the Witness for Peace Gathering held at Portland’s First Congregational United Church of Christ marking the fifth year of the war in Iraq. This was an ecumenical gathering filled with song and spirit. Use the below link to download the podcast of my remarks for your iPod or personal computer.

Download FCCIraq.m4a

(click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

Representatives from First Congregational UCC, First United Methodist Church of Portland, St. Phillip Neri, and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon also participated.  Hundreds from churches across the Portland area attended.

Protests are occuring across the nation this weekend calling for an end to the war.

 

This Friday In Portland: Witness For Peace Gathering

This Friday at 7 pm join other Portland-area Christians for a special "Witness for Peace Gathering" calling for an end to the war in Iraq.  The service will take place at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1126 SW Park Avenue. 

I'll be there with members from Parkrose Community United Church of Christ.  There will be music, opportunities for reflection, and the lighting of candles. This promises to be a moving and spiritual evening.  Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon is a co-sponsor of the gathering.

Click here for more information.

Someone asked me recently why this wasn't an interfaith gathering.  Interfaith events are important - critical, really, in our pluralistic society - and all of us involved with the gathering this Friday are committed to interfaith dialog and worship opportunities.  But on this one occasion we felt it was important to demonstrate the Christian community's nearly unanimous opposition to the war in Iraq and to provide Christians with a chance to gather ecumenically with one another in a show of inter-denominational solidarity. 

We welcome, however, those of other faiths who wish to attend to show their support for our efforts and we lift up in prayer those of all faiths who are working for peace across the globe.

Related Link:  Statement On Iraq From The National Council Of Churches 

Witness For Peace Gathering Set For March 14th In Portland

Dear Friends,

I’m writing to invite you to join me at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Portland (www.uccportland.org) for a special worship service marking five bloody years of war in Iraq. The service will be held Friday, March 14th from 7-8 pm. The church is located at 1126 SW Park Avenue.

Over 4,000 American soldiers have died since the start of the war and human rights groups have estimated that so far nearly 90,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed as a direct result of the conflict (with perhaps as many as 600,000 dying from direct and indirect causes). U.S. military forces do not count civilian deaths.

We have the power to end this conflict.

The rational for invading Iraqi was that the United States needed to stop a dangerous leader who had weapons of mass destruction. This turned out to be a fabrication. In fact, the result of the invasion has been a further destabilization of the region and human rights scandals involving American forces.

At the service on March 14th there will be music, opportunities for reflection, and the lighting of candles. This promises to be a moving and spiritual evening.  Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon is a co-sponsor of the gathering.

Religious leaders spoke out against the invasion. The Vatican and the World Council of Churches were two of the most vocal opponents. Here in the United States the National Council of Churches in Christ USA along with almost every single Christian denomination (with the notable exception of the Southern Baptists) said the U.S. should not invade.

The national offices of the United Church of Christ have joined with others in calling for an end to this war. Recently, over 64,000 members of our denomination joined with our National Officers, Conference Ministers and Seminary Presidents in signing a letter to the President and Congress that said in part:

Today we call for an end to this war, an end to our reliance on violence as the first, rather than the last resort, an end to the arrogant unilateralism of preemptive war. Today we call for the humility and courage to acknowledge failure and error, to accept the futility of our current path, and we cry out for the creativity to seek new paths of peacemaking in the Middle East, through regional engagement and true multinational policing. Today we call for acknowledgement of our responsibility for the destruction caused by sanctions and war, thereby, we pray, beginning to rebuild trust in the Middle East and around the world. Today we call for repentance in our nation and for the recognition in our churches that security is found in submitting to Christ, not by dominating others.

In the name of the Peace of Peace, I ask you to come and to add your voice with a chorus of others calling for peace and justice throughout the world. Some American political leaders have said this war will last another 100 years but we must insist that the violence and the chaos end now. My hope is that all faithful people will join us but I especially hope that those who have not taken a public stand against the war come and do so now. Please also bring your children and other young people. Doing so will be a witness to them as to how you want the world to be.

Your brother in Christ,

The Rev. Chuck Currie

Happy Valentine's Day

 

Just Out Has Something Nice to Say

Just Out, Portland's gay and lesbian newspaper, today called me a "relentless supporter of the queer community."  That's high praise.  I've joined with non-profits and churches to fight every anti-gay ballot measure since 1988.  As a minister, I can think of no better work than standing up and advocating for those the Religious Right wish to exclude from the community.  Even worse, the Religious Right has sought to take away and limit basic civil rights for gay and lesbian people.  I make my stand with those Christians - are there are many of us - who believe that God is "well pleased" with all God's children.  The Kingdom of God is meant for us all.

Related Post:  Homosexuality And The Bible

Upcoming Event:

Film Showing

Wednesday, January 30 at 7 PM

at First Congregational United Church of Christ

1126 SW Park St at SW Madison

Portland, Oregon

Dan Karslake's provocative, entertaining documentary

"For the Bible Tells Me So"

brilliantly reconciles homosexuality and Biblical scripture.

Portland First Congregational UCC is able to show this film through arrangements with Progressive Christians Uniting.

A free will offering will be taken to benefit PCU and there will be a time for discussion following the film.

The film shares the experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very American families – including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopalian Bishop Gene Robinson – and tells how insightful people of faith handle the realization of having a gay child.

For more information please visit www.forthebibletellsmeso.org

or contact jliljeholm@gmail.com

 

Portland City Council Race

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, Portland City Commissioner Erik Sten recently announced his resignation from the Portland City Council.  A friend and colleague for many years, Erik has been unparalleled in his advocacy for affordable housing and efforts to end homelessness. 

State Representative Chip Shields and others have suggested that I run for Erik’s seat but after going back and forth and talking with many people I’ve concluded that a race for public office isn’t where I believe I can best be of service.

Portland has my heart and for over twenty years I’ve worked on issues important to the life of this community but I continue to believe that the problems we face are as spiritual as they are political.  We read in Scripture about a question addressed to Jesus:

‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Mathew 26:40 NRSV)

We don’t always love our neighbors in this city.  Evidence of that can be found in the growing numbers of homeless children in Portland or in the unbalanced way we allocate resources.  Our wealthiest neighborhoods receive more attention than our poorest neighbors.  We ought to all be thriving in a place with so many resources but many of us struggle with finding basic shelter and even food.

In the Book of Isaiah, found in the Hebrew Scriptures, a vision of what God’s Kingdom should look like is offered.  It is a place where:

The wolf shall live with the lamb,    the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together,    and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze,    their young shall lie down together;    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,    and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy    on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord    as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9 NRSV)      

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. often quoted from this passage when he preached about how the church should live out God’s mission.  This is the world we are supposed to help create: a world in which even the most helpless child is safe.  As an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, I have the opportunity and responsibility to raise issues that concern the “least of these” in our community and to promote causes and ideas that shake up the established order in favor of what King called the “Beloved Community.”

So I will continue to advocate for an end to the war in Iraq, for economic justice, for the full inclusion of gays and lesbians into our civil life and religious institutions, for just immigration policies, and for new policies designed to protect our environment…God’s own creation. 

Working with others in the faith community and those on the front lines of the fight to end homelessness, I plan to issue invitations soon to those running for Mayor and the City Council to attend a forum to discuss poverty in this city.  Together we should demand that all candidates for public office make serious commitments to addressing poverty and homelessness.

Finally, my interim ministry at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ continues to be challenging.  I was originally asked to serve for one year but it became apparent quite quickly that the church faced serious difficulties which required a longer interim period.  Over the last sixteen months the church has voted to become “Open And Affirming,” made difficult but responsible financial decisions, cut the projected budget deficit in half, and engaged in a strategic planning process that will be voted on in February.  The people of Parkrose Community United Church of Christ are working hard!  My commitment now is to stay with this church until mid-2009.  After that, I hope to serve another UCC congregation that shares our denomination’s commitment to Gospel-centered justice.  Thank you for your interest in the city council race and for your love of Portland.

Sincerely, The Rev. Chuck Currie   

Should I Run For Portland City Council?

Opinion Polls & Market Research

A Podcast Sermon On Matthew 2:1-12: Being Transformed By Jesus

This morning at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ in Portland, Oregon our Scripture readings during worship included Isaiah 60:1-6 and Matthew 2:1-12.

My sermon reflected largely on the experiences I had last night while taking part in a sleep out to draw attention to the issue of homelessness.  Use the below link to download the podcast of the sermon for your iPod or personal  computer. 

Download ParkroseBeingTransformedByJesus.m4a

(click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

Now On ITunes

You can now subscribe to my podcasts on ITunes.  Just open the ITunes application and use the search function to find

"Chuck Currie"

then click on the "Subscribe" button.

Why I'm Sleeping Outside Tonight

This post has been updated

With a low temperature expected tonight near freezing I'll be sleeping in my car outside Cedar Hills United Church of Christ:

Please join out "Out in the Cold" Camp Out on Jan 5th at 7PM at Cedar Hills UCC. Most of us can "choose" to be out in the cold for a night. People dealing with homelessness are not so lucky. Experience what it's like. Spend the night out in the cold to dramatize the plight of our neighbors who are out in the cold. Call Eric for details at (503) 357-3282.

The event is being coordinated by the Interfaith Committee on Homeless of Washington County to draw attention to the growing numbers of people who are homeless in the suburbs and other areas outside the urban core of the Portland-Metro area.  The Interfaith Committee was started by members of Forest Grove United Church of Christ and has grown over nearly two years to include many different faith groups. 

I want to be there to show support for the idea that our urban and suburban neighborhoods face a common problem - a lack of affordable housing for those Jesus would have called the "least of these in society - and it will take local, state and national efforts to end homelessness in America.

Related Post: Remarks at Washington County Homeless Forum

Related Link:  National Coalition for the Homeless

Update:  Watch the coverage of this event from KGW-TV.

Update:  Watch the coverage of this event from KATU-TV.

Replace Erik Sten With A True Portland Progressive

The resignation of Portland City Commission Erik Sten represents an opportunity for city voters to reshape the Portland City Council. My advice: we don’t need an Erik Sten clone but look for a replacement that shares Sten’s values and priorities. Portland needs someone on the council who will be a champion of those who are homeless and living in poverty. We also need someone committed to the issues faced by eastside Portland. Today I told KATU that that’s the kind of candidate I’d be looking for in this unexpected and important special election. I jokingly told KATU that if no one raised the important issues in this City Council race that I might step in and do it myself. Of course, I will not be a candidate but I’ll be pushing as always to keep progressive ideas and values on the agenda in Portland. You don’t need to be in politics to do that. 

Note to Nick Fish (also interviewed on KATU): you ought to be willing to put the "poorest of the poor" at the top of your agenda if you are going to run for the council.  There are a lot of people fighting for the middle class (rightfully so) but poverty and the issues connected with it deserve a voice in Portland politics. 

Statement on Erik Sten

Erik Sten’s announcement that he will leave City Hall in April represents the loss of a progressive and pragmatic voice on the City Council. Erik alone on the council has shown a passion for addressing issues of homelessness and poverty. He can count many accomplishments on his watch and his voice will be missed.

The Day After Christmas And All Across Portland...

...progressive Christians are busy planning events:

"For the Bible Tells Me So": Film Showing on Wednesday January 30 at 7 PM

Dan Karslake's provocative, entertaining documentary, "For the Bible Tells Me So", brilliantly reconciles homosexuality and Biblical scripture.